Sorry, I did not read your previous explanation of this, but can you please explain how the body processes foods differently than medicines according to TM? My initial impression is that the body is going to process anything that is ingested p.o. in the same way via the same digestive processes. How does the body distinguish between a food/herb and a medicine?

Sorry, I did not read your previous explanation of this, but can you please explain how the body processes foods differently than medicines according to TM? My initial impression is that the body is going to process anything that is ingested p.o. in the same way via the same digestive processes. How does the body distinguish between a food/herb and a medicine?

Sorry if I'm being obtuse here.

Thanks.

Generally herbs are not addictive, maybe a few are, I'm not sure. But, if one processes the herb for its essences, the essence can be addictive, for example cocaine from the coca plant, and opium from the poppy. Some herbs (for example the coca leaf) are used for long periods (Andean native men chew coca leaves daily, almost all day, for most of their lives). If you are unsure about a specific herb, use it for only a limited time (e.g., 3 months). Of course, if you experience any ill effects while consuming an herb, stop taking it. I don't know Namdrol, but assume he is an expert on Tibetan herbs.

I am not an expert on herbs, but take some myself and have studied the topic to avoid problems. If my advice is unreasonable, ignore it.

HHDL: "My confidence in venturing into science lies in my basic belief that as in science so in Buddhism, understanding the nature of reality is pursued by means of critical investigation: if scientific analysis were conclusively to demonstrate certain claims in Buddhism to be false, then we must accept the findings of science and abandon those claims."

Sorry, I did not read your previous explanation of this, but can you please explain how the body processes foods differently than medicines according to TM? My initial impression is that the body is going to process anything that is ingested p.o. in the same way via the same digestive processes. How does the body distinguish between a food/herb and a medicine?

Sorry if I'm being obtuse here.

Thanks.

According to the four tantras, it states that medicines are completley digested within an hour or so after after being ingested. Food take seven days to fully digest. When you use herbs for too long, the herb in question is no longer digested rapidly. By digest, we mean for the rasa of the food to work its way through the blood, muscle, fat, bone, marrow and semen.

Thanks for the explanation. That's very interesting. I've never heard this before. So, if one eats a new food for the first time, does that get rapidly digested until the body recognizes it as "food"? I'm just trying to get clear about this process. It's still a little bit hard for me to grasp in a way that makes sense to me.

One other question: Paltul Rinpoche has had me on the same three sets of TM pills for almost a year now. Does that mean they are being absorbed as food and not as medicine?

Depends on the medicine and depends on the disease. Some chronic diseases, like Padkan Mugpo, have to be treated for a year or more. In this case one takes usually one herb for a very long time, and other herbs are often, but not always, changed for season and so on.